Yu-Gi-Oh! Stories of DNA
by NewNova
Summary: What would happen if Yu-Gi-Oh! GX got an upgrade? Well, this would be the case. Now in the future of 2017, there are both new people and new mechanics to the game known as Duel Monsters. Witness the ascent of one student in particular as we see just how strange, terrifying, and fun school life can get! First fanfic, it's probably not too bad. Rated M to be safe
1. Chapter 1: Introductions & Trouble

_(Big Ol' DISCLAIMER: Yugioh is owned by Kazuki Takahashi and KONAMI! I own nothing here but the OC characters.)_

Dueling Nexus Academy. The prestigious school where the best inspiring pupils learn the popular game Duel Monsters. These Duelists will be grouped into 6 major classes: Ritual Blue, Fusion Purple, Synchro White, Xyz Black, Pendulum Green, and Link Cobalt. This is the story of Malcolm Harmon, in his quest to complete school despite the hidden enemies who lay waiting….. This is:

 **Yu-Gi-Oh! Stories of DNA**

 **Chapter One: Introductions & Trouble**

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! Malcolm groaned as he slapped his alarm clock, wanting the alarm to stop.

"Ugh… Five more minutes please…" He says rubbing his eyes before looking at the time…. 7:55.

"CRAP! I'm gonna be late for the entry tests!" Malcolm suddenly was up as if he got shocked, switching into his casual wear - Blue jeans, black sneakers, and his favorite Batman hoodie - before heading towards the kitchen area… right into his mom.

"Ow…. Morning, mom." He groaned out as his mother bent down to glare at him. "Malcolm… you're late. Just like your father." She smiles a bit at that last part, ruffling her son's head as Malcolm chuckled. He then stood, kissing his mom on the cheek before grabbing a piece of toast from a nearby plate, dashing out of his house. The wind blew against his blonde hair while he broke into a run.

"Damn it… freaking sleeping habits!" He began running even faster, his surroundings forming into a city as he ran. This is Nexus Domino City, Malcolm's home city and the original home of the DNA Test Facility. DNA - short for Dueling Nexus Academy - is the leading school for Duel Monsters teaching, where young pupils learn to become the best of the best. However, the best may not be the earliest as Malcolm rushes to the building, dodging past people quickly.

"Almost there, almost there…." He pants in excitement, grinning. He finally got the opportunity to learn there, and of course, he wouldn't say no to something like that. He pretty much aced the written exam, and now comes his favorite part: Inauguration Duel. He dashes through the entrance, shouting, "MALCOLM HARMON, COMING THROUGH!" The staff seems surprised as he dashes around, looking for the arena as he follows the directions on the walls.

"The Inauguration Duel. This is what not only allows you into the academy if you win but determines which rank you're given when you start. The ranks go from lowest to highest: Ritual Blue, Fusion Purple, Synchro White, Xyz Black, Pendulum Green, and Link Cobalt. The reasons for these ranks is…" The PA droned on in the arena as Malcolm ran in, sighing in relief as he watched the multiple duels taking place. One, in particular, showed a tall man with a DNA Staff uniform facing a blue-haired teen. The staff member had 4000 Life Points, no face down cards, 2 cards in his hand, and Ancient Gear Reactor Dragon on the field in attack mode. The teen had 1600 Life Points, no cards in his hand, 3 face downs, and 2 monsters in his Pendulum Scales.

"My turn. I draw." The teen said as he drew his card. "I activate my facedown trap: Qlife's End. After activation, this card becomes a monster instead of a trap." The trap raised up before taking the shape of an irregular machine.

 _(4/EARTH/Machine-Effect/ATK 1800/DEF 1000)_

"Next, it's effect allows it to be used as 3 tributes for a Qli Monster. I use it as 3 tributes!" The machine split into three balls of energy before merging again into something new…

 **"From the depths of Space-Time, rise up and grant me Victory! I Advance Summon!"** The teen placed the card on the Duel Disk, bringing forth what looked like… mechanical terror in the air. A large UFO-Style machine that seemed to have electrical veins floating around it, as it boasted a good 2900 atk. **"Come forth, Apoqliphort Skybase!"**

 _(9/EARTH/Machine-Effect/ATK 2900/DEF 2500)_

The staff grinned as he mentioned, "That was a mistake. You just summoned a big monster, yes. But it's nothing compared to my Reactor Dragon's 3000 attack. How do you think you'll make your way past this?"

"I won't." The teen shrugged, face showing little emotion. "I'm not going to destroy Reactor Dragon at all. In fact, he'll be ending this duel. I activate Skybase's special ability."

The machine began glowing before coils of electricity shot out, wrapping around Reactor Dragon before zapping it over to his side as the tester gaped in shock. "What? What's going on, why is Reactor Dragon on your side?"

"Once per turn, I can take control of my opponent's monster and use it as my own until the end of the turn." The teen said calmly as both monsters prepared to attack. "Battle. Both my Reactor Dragon and my Apoqliphort Skybase…. attack directly." The staff member seemed almost terrified as the monsters both fired beams of energy, the beams combining and landing at their target to cause an explosion.

 _Staff: 0_

 _Unknown: WIN!_

The teen deactivated his duel disk before the staff stood, stuttering a bit as he said, "W-W-We'll be in touch a-about your r-rank, mister…?"

The teen looked to him, almost bored as he replied, "The name's Rune Suller. And yes, we will be in touch." He then left the dueling arena to watch the rest of the duels as Malcolm grinned in anticipation.

"That was Rune Suller. They say he tied with someone for the best written exam." Malcolm turned to follow the voice, seeing another person. He was shorter than Malcolm, with brown hair and green eyes along with a Duel Disk on his wrist.

"Man, I knew that I tied with someone… Didn't know they ran Pendulum Monsters though!" Malcolm's grin widened as the other kid's eyes widen.

"Wait, wait...you're Malcolm Harmon? The one who tied with him, the son of Joel Harmon - leading designer at KaibaCorp!?" The teen almost shouted in Malcolm's ear, to which he nodded in confirmation. The teen almost leaped with joy as he repeated, over and over, "I ran into him, what are the odds?" Meanwhile, Malcolm was slumping down comically.

"Yes, yes… now please be quiet, the last thing I need is people bugging me about things…" He mumbles, which to his surprise makes the teen stop in his tracks and offer a handshake.

"Okay. Name's Zain. Nice to meet you." The teen now known as Zain smiles as Malcolm shrugs, taking his hand with a smile of his own.

"Nice to meet you, Zain. Now then, all I have to do now is-"

 **-WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!-**

Malcolm covers his ears in annoyance, as Zain looks around wondering, "What's up with the Warnings? I don't see anything bad happening..." Meanwhile, Malcolm looked around before noticing a new figure in the Duel Arena. He wore a White Robe-like Jacket and had a strange mechanical face-plate covering his upper head. He shouted out, "Listen up! I want to find the one known as Malcolm Harmon! If I do not find him, I will not hesitate to use force!"

The man lifts his Duel Disk, smirking as he reveals, "This Duel Disk is specially designed with custom Solid Vision With Mass generators. Meaning if I wanted, I could destroy the entire building. Now, where is Malcolm-"

"I'm right here if you want me!" The man turned, grinning at Malcolm who's stood to reveal himself. "I'm not gonna let people like you mess with these people, or anyone else.

"Ah, so you are here, Malcolm. You're going to regret messing with Hanoi!" The man readies his Duel Disk as multiple students murmur amongst themselves, Zain's eyes widening as he thought Hanoi? As in Knights of Hanoi!? Just how much is Malcolm involved in these things?

"If you want me, come get me!" Malcolm readies his own Duel Disk, grinning.

 **"DUEL!"**

(Well, here's that. The first chapter of a story I thought up a while ago. Kinda short, but I'm doing my best to make them longer. I'll take any advice, and hopefully there isn't too much hate. This would be Nova, signing off.)


	2. Chapter 2: Hanoi and the Metaphys Power

**(Disclaimer: Read Chapter One)**

 **Chapter Two: Hanoi Knights and the Metaphys Dimension**

 _Hanoi (KoH): 4000_

 _Malcolm: 4000_

"I'll go first!" The KoH said, drawing his five cards with Malcolm, "Since you control no monsters, I can special summon Hack Worm in attack mode!" The jagged worm with energy lines sprouting through appeared on the Hanoi's side, holding 400 attack.

 _(1/DARK/Machine-Effect/ATK 400/DEF 0)_

"Next, I can special summon my second copy of Hack Worm!" The Hanoi said, a wild grin spreading on his face as the second monster showed on his field, "Now I can show you my most powerful creature. I tribute both Hack Worms to Advance Summon my mighty beast, Cracking Dragon!"

The lights began flashing on and off before a crack appeared in what looked like open air, giving birth to a mighty machine-looking dragon with spikes protruding all over its body, along with what looked like a green energy core in its chest as it gave off a mighty roar.

 _(8/DARK/Machine-Effect/ATK 3000/DEF 0)_

"I set 1 card face-down, and end my turn. So let's see what you can do Malcolm." The KoH boasted, giving a mighty smug smirk. "The sooner I end you, the sooner we get those new Solid Vision specs." Zain's eyes widened at this, actually knowing what that was as he thought to himself. New Solid Vision? Does he mean the Portable Solid Vision with Mass? But don't they already-

"Alrighty, my turn!" Malcolm said, drawing his sixth card. He looked at what he got, and chuckled, "Okay, I'm gonna start with the continuous spell Dimensional Fissure." He plays the card, and a void-like gap appeared above them both.

"Now every monster is banished instead of going to the grave." Malcolm said as he activates another card while he talks. "Next I activate Metaphys Asymmetry. This card has a couple of effects, and I activate its first. By banishing a Metaphys card in my hand, I get to draw a card. I banish Metaphys Nephthys from my hand." The said monster was placed into a special banished zone in his Duel Disk, and he drew his card before his eyes widened, a smirk showing on his face. "Perfect…."

At that moment, Cracking Dragon roared in anguish as its attack reduced from 3000 to 2500. "What the- What happened to Cracking Dragon's attack?" The knight exclaimed in confusion, before looking to Malcolm's field as Metaphys Asymmetry was glowing.

"Metaphys Asymmetry activates a certain effect - depending on the turn - whenever a metaphys card is banished. In the case where it's my turn, every non-Metaphys monster on the field loses 500 attack and defense. But Cracking Dragon didn't have any defense, so that wasn't noticed."

"Now, continuing with the duel, I set one monster on my field," The said monster appeared face down, seemingly insignificant compared to the enormous Cracking Dragon, "And I'll activate a field spell: Metaphys Factor." The raised the spell, and as he placed it on his Duel Disk the field around them changed to what looked like space, with glistening stars shining around them.

"This field spell prevents you from activating cards or effects in response to my Metaphys' effects. That way I can go through this without having to worry about any negates. I set 1 card face down, and activate the continuous spell Soul Absorption. Now whenever a card or cards is banished, I gain 500 life for each one. That'll end my turn." Malcolm grinned as his turn came to an end.

"Whatever, my turn! I draw." The knight drew his card, and was about to play something before Malcolm raised a hand exclaiming. "Wait a minute! At this moment, my banished Nephthys' effect activates. On the next standby phase after it was banished, I can shuffle it into the deck and add a Metaphys card from my deck to my hand." Nephthys pops out of his banished zone, and he places it in his deck before another card is ejected, as he adds the new card to his hand before his deck is shuffled.

"Fine then, it won't stop your monster from being annihilated. I activate the equip spell called Air Cracking Storm!" As the knight plays this card, machines hook onto Cracking Dragon arming it with what looked like an endless amount of firepower. "This equip spell allows the equipped monster to attack again if it destroys a monster. And I plan on doing just that. Cracking Dragon, destroy that puny wall of a monster!" The mechanical dragon obeyed its master, aiming an attack at Malcolm's face down monster.

 _Crap! If Malcolm takes this and can't stop the next attack, he'll take a ton of damage!_ Zain thought as he looked to Malcolm's field worriedly. But then he noticed Malcolm's smile… _Wait, he's ENJOYING this situation!?_

As his face down monster was destroyed, it was revealed to be what looked like a gruesome mutilated doll's head as it was absorbed into the void. "Due to Dimensional Fissure's effect, my Necroface is banished. And that activates its own effect!" Malcolm explains happily as a faded vision of the monstrosity appeared over their decks..

 _(4/DARK/Zombie-Effect/ATK 1300/DEF 1800)_

"When this card is banished, the top 5 cards of both of our decks are banished." The knight banished his top 5 - 2 copies of DDoS Attack, another Hack Worm, Storming Mirror Force, and Jack Wyvern - while he grimaced. Malcolm, however, was grinning happily as he banished his five - Metaphys Tyrant Dragon, Metaphys Daedalus, Metaphys Nephthys, Ghost Reaper & Winter Cherries, and another copy of Metaphys Factor.

"Alrighty, now Asymmetry's effect. When a metaphys card is banished on my opponent's turn, every non-Metaphys monster on the field is switched to defense mode." After explaining this Malcolm watched as Cracking Dragon took a defensive stance, bearing a miniscule 0 defense. "And then Soul Absorption's effect activates. Since 10 cards were just banished, I gain 500 life for each."

 _Hanoi (KoH): 4000_

 _Malcolm: 9000_

"I then activate my facedown. Metaphys Dimension!" Said trap flipped up from its position as Cracking Dragon appeared to be headed for the void in the air. "Whenever a Metaphys card is banished, this continuous trap banishes one card my opponent controls. Bye bye, Cracking Dragon!"

"No, Cracking Dragon!" The knight shouted in anger as the monster was banished. He then turned to Malcolm in rage. "How dare you! I'll finish you on my next turn and then-"

"There isn't a next turn for you." Malcolm said, quite serious compared to before as he drew his next card. "At my standby phase, a couple of my monster's effects trigger. The first being one you've seen. Metaphys Nephthys returns to my deck from being banished, and I add a Metaphys card to my hand. Next, I activate Metaphys Daedalus' effect. By shuffling this card into my deck during the next standby phase after it's banished…" He adds the card to his deck, after which it shuffles before ejecting a different card. "...I can banish a Metaphys card from my deck." He sends yet another Metaphys Nephthys to his banished zone as both Soul Absorption and Metaphys Dimension glowed.

 _Hanoi (KoH): 4000_

 _Malcolm: 9500_

"Now Metaphys Dimension triggers… and the Hanoi loses his backrow." Zain realizes as said backrow exploded before the shards were absorbed by Dimensional Fissure as Malcolm gained even more life.

 _Hanoi (KoH): 4000_

 _Malcolm: 10000_

"Lastly, I activate Metaphys Tyrant Dragon's effect. This card, by shuffling it into my deck the standby phase after it's banished, let's me special summon a Metaphys monster from my hand. I choose Metaphys Ragnarok!" He played said monster, as what appeared to be a glowing white Chinese Dragon flew out of the void.

 _(4/LIGHT/Wyrm-Tuner-Effect/ATK 1500/DEF 1000)_

"Ragnarok can, when he's summoned, banish three cards from the top of my deck. For each Metaphys card banished, he gains 300 attack." Malcolm draws his next three cards, revealing them to be no Metaphys cards as they're banished. "None. Ragnarok's attack stays the same."

"Ha! You really think you can stop me with a monster like that?" The knight said, albeit a tad bit afraid.

"Yes. As a matter of fact, he's gonna help me win. I battle, and Ragnarok attacks you directly." The Wyrm-type monster shot out a ball of energy, s it landed straight on the Knight of Hanoi.

 _Hanoi (KoH): 2500_

 _Malcolm: 9500_

The knight blocked the shrapnel with his Duel Disk as he muttered, "Why you… Whatever, I still have-"

"I activate Metaphys Ragnarok's effect." Malcolm claims, interrupting the Hanoi Knight. "When this card deals battle damage to my opponent, I can special summon a Metaphys monster from my Main Deck." He took a card from his deck, raising it up as he grinned. "Say hello to Metaphys Tyrant Dragon!" As he placed the card down, it shined with energy as a colossal dragon roared out of the void as the KoH backed away in fear.

 _(8/LIGHT/Wyrm-Effect/ATK 2900/DEF 2500)_

"No…. Damn it, NO!" The knight shouted in anger as Tyrant Dragon prepared its attack.

"Metaphys Tyrant Dragon…. Attack the Knight of Hanoi directly with Tyrant Cosmic Burst!" The dragon obeyed, shooting a flare of light towards the Knight as he was pushed back, losing the duel.

 _Hanoi (KoH): 0_

 _Malcolm: WIN!_

Malcolm deactivated his duel disk before walking to the collapsed knight, raising him by his collar as he interrogated, "Why are you after the Specs?" TO this, the Knight simply chuckles and replies. "Malcolm… If you really want to know… You can simply find out yourself when Revolver reveals his grand scheme..." The Knight laughed ominously before he seemed to disappear into pixels, his job having failed. Malcolm then turned to the crowd, both students and non-students staring at him out of fear, respect, or both.

"Hmm…. Well, I guess I don't really need my test duel." He chuckled, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly to which the staff nodded, mainly happy he didn't have to face Malcolm in a duel before he scampered off to tell the higher-ups.

Meanwhile, the Knight of Hanoi - having been defeated - has been warped back to the Hanoi's base of operations. "What… Wait, I was beaten by that kid!" He exclaimed in anger before hearing a chilling voice from behind him. "Exactly…."

"Wait…. Revolver, please don't! I beg mercy, please!" The knight tries to plead, but then shouts in terror as he seems to be shot by an energy blast, revealed to be shot by a large, mechanical-looking dragon with a revolver-like design. The man in front of it, revealed to be Revolver, begins chuckling.

"Malcolm… You've been in our way for long enough…"

 **(Well, that's chapter two all said and done. Hopefully it's enough for you all, and I'm hoping to update this weekly. Rate and Review however you like, and here's hoping I'm not hit with too many bad comments. New Nova, signing out.)**


	3. Chapter 3: Aftermath & the Cruise

**(Disclaimer: Read Chapter One)**

 **Chapter Three: Aftermath & The Cruise**

It's been a week since the Inauguration duels, where Malcolm ended up on the news for stopping the Knights of Hanoi from their plot. Malcolm was heading for the docks, as a Cruise Ship was prepared to bring them to the academy while he was trembling with anticipation.

"Alrighty… Wonder what I should do first-Woah!" Having been looking down at the brochure for the Cruise, he didn't even notice as he ran into someone else. He fell on his butt and looked up to see who he ran into. Turns out, he ran into a girl. She had brown hair which was swept to one side, along with hazel eyes that hid behind a pair of glasses. She stood quickly, bowing in apology as she seemed to blush a bit.

"S-S-Sorry about that!" She managed to stutter out as Malcolm took his own turn to stand. She turned to leave, but Malcolm raised a hand in response, saying out. "Wait for a second!"

She froze a bit turning to him as she blushed. Malcolm went to tell her, "It's my fault, sorry about that. I was a bit too wrapped up in what I was gonna do on the cruise." He raised the brochure, and realized…

 _She's got the same brochure in her hands? Then that means…_ He asked her, curious "Are you… heading to DNA too?"

She seemed to turn redder as she nodded, clearly a bit embarrassed. "Y-Yeah… I was accepted in last week… I saw your duel…" To that last bit, Malcolm chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Yeah, pretty sure everyone at the arena saw that…. On the bright side, no one got hurt." He smiled as he says this, noticing a bit of a smile showing up on her face as well.

"Yeah…." She looked to him, her blush lessening. "Nice to meet you. I kinda already know your name, but mine's Elisabeth. You can… You can call me Lily if you like…"

"Hmm… Yeah, if that's alright with you Lily." Malcolm grinned, but then heard a foghorn go off. "Oh boy…. We gotta run!" He grabbed her hand as he dashed towards the docks with a still-blushing Lily to catch their ride.

"E-E-Easy!" She attempted to shout as they finally made their way to the ship right before it was about to launch off into the sea. Trying to catch his breath, Malcolm raised a hand in relief, breathing out. "Yay… we made it…" And after saying this, he promptly lays down on the floor of the cruise ship, slightly scaring Lily.

"Um… Malcolm? Are you okay?" She asks, looking down to him at which he raises a thumbs up.

"Yeah…. Just a bit tired. I ran over to the docks, and then I ran to the ship. Didn't have my driver's license." Chuckles after he says this, before going to sit up before moving to his feet. "Okay… Now to find the nearest chair!" He exclaims, smiling and raising a pointing hand before walking down to what looked like the cruise pool - at which Lily decided to follow, thinking to herself…

 _Just who is this person? To be so… cheerful, no matter what._

Malcolm walked over to the pool area, hoping to find a half-decent chair when his eyes widened in anticipation. The perfect chair, not too far away from the food & drink areas and with a wonderful view, was simply sitting there waiting to be taken. He smiled, and as he was just about to sit down… "HEY!" He froze and looked to where the voice came from to find a large, bulky kid walking towards him.

"You got a lot of nerve, trying to take my seat like that!" The kid shouted into Malcolm's ear, to which he responded by rubbing said ear and asking, "And… Who would you be?"

To that, the kid began laughing snobbishly, pointing a thumb to himself in pride. "You don't know who I am? I'm the top duelist on this ship, Max Adan. And that's _my_ seat." Max points at the seat Malcolm was about to sit on, at which Malcolm promptly responded with a grin.

"Your seat? First come, first serve. Unless you want to win it from me." Malcolm challenges, raising his duel disk at which Max smiled too, raising his own.

"Kid… You got yourself a deal. The people here fear me, and you'll learn to fear me as well." Max chuckled and began walking to the Dueling Arena on top of the cruise ship, at which Malcolm was about to follow before noticing Lily look to him in worry.

"Lily, what is it?" He asked, to which she began blushing. "Malcolm… Are you sure you'll be able to beat him? Max ended up defeating me, he's pretty tough..." She asked Malcolm, shuddering in remembrance.

Malcolm grinned, flashing a thumbs up before heading to the Duel Arena, followed by a worried Lily. They made their way there, where Max was seen surrounded by a couple of what Malcolm thought were Max's goons. "You showed. Surprising." Max grinned even wider, his Duel Disk activating. "Kid, you're gonna learn the definition of pain in this duel. And since you're the challenger, as the challenged I declare we start with 8000 Life." Malcolm grinned as well hearing this, activating his own duel disk. "Fine by me, Max."

"DUEL!"

"DUEL!"

 _Max: 8000_

 _Malcolm: 8000_

Max drew his five cards as he exclaimed, "I'll start this thing. I'm gonna go ahead and give you a gift. By summoning two Grinder Tokens to my field, I can special summon Grinder Golem to yours!" A large machine with what looked like a saw blade for a head appeared on Malcolm's field, while two smaller versions appeared on Max's.

 _Grinder Golem:_ (8/DARK/Fiend-Effect/ATK 3000/DEF 300)

 _Grinder Token:_ (1/DARK/Fiend/ATK 0/DEF 0)

"Now then, I'm gonna set two cards face-down and pass." Max gave a smug look to Malcolm, as if egging him on to attack. _Attack my monster, and your deck is gone!_ He thought in glee, as Lily watched in worry.

"Okay… Kind of a strange start, but not one I'll complain about. My turn, I draw." Malcolm shrugged, drawing his sixth card as he took a look at his hand. "I summon Metaphys Ragnarok in attack mode." A crack appeared in the sky, as the Chinese dragon flew out of the void. "Next, I battle. Metaphys Ragnarok attacks a Grinder Token." Metaphys Ragnarok listened with a growl of anticipation as it charged up its blast, the energy slamming into the token as it explodes, dealing Max a good amount of damage.

 _Max: 6500_

 _Malcolm: 8000_

"Next, Metaphys Ragnarok's effect. When he deals battle damage, I can special summon a Metaphys monster from my deck. I choose Metaphys Tyrant Dragon." As Malcolm said this, the familiar monster slipped out of the crack - roaring out in preparation as it raised itself up for an attack. "Next, Metaphys Tyrant Dragon attacks the second token. Tyrant Cosmic Burst!" Malcolm declared as the dragon prepared its own energy blast, the token blown up as it made contact.

 _Max: 3600_

 _Malcolm: 8000_

"And now, Grinder Golem will attack Max directly." The golem prepared to slam its clawed grip into Max, who blocked the hit with his Duel Disk before he was pushed back.

 _Max: 600_

 _Malcolm: 8000_

"HA! I activate my face-down, the Quick-Play Spell Inferno Tempest!" Max exclaimed in excitement as the revealed card flipped up. Both Lily and Malcolm's eyes widened at this realization, as Max explained. "This card can only activate when I take 3000 or more damage in one blow. Now, every monster in our deck and graveyard is banished!"

"Banished!?" Lily exclaimed in worry, looking to Malcolm, "But then he'll have nothing to protect himself later on!" She then, however, noticed the grin on Malcolm's face as he almost happily banished every monster in his deck, filling his banished zone with 16 monsters.

"Now, watch as your deck is…. Why are you smiling?" Max questions the grinning Malcolm.

"Why? Well, I'm not sure if you watched my Inauguration Duel, because…" Malcolm begins, as his mood seems to switch to a serious tone. "...You've lost. At this moment, both of my Necroface's effects activate when banished." Malcolm says, putting a not so happy look on Max's face. "When they're banished, we both banish the top 5 cards of out decks. Since two were banished, that's 10." They both continue to banish cards, Max gaining a smirk on his face.

"You're a bit wrong about who's losing, Malcolm! I activate my trap, D.D. Dynamite!" Max yelled out, the aforementioned trap flipping up and glowing. "Now for every card that you've banished, you're hit with 300 points of damage! Time to be defeated…" Max began laughing as explosions hit all around Malcolm, causing lots of smoke to disguise the situation. Lily looked on in worry before both her and Max's eyes widened, noticing that Malcolm was on his feet - still having life points.

 _Max: 600_

 _Malcolm: 200_

"Looks like you were pretty unlucky. One more card banished, and I would've been done for. But unfortunately for you, since I happen to have used Ragnarok's effect, it left me without a monster in my deck and I only had 26 cards banished." Malcolm dusted himself off as he said this, the stoic look never leaving his face. "And 26 cards banished… that's only 7800 points of damage. Looks like you're the one losing this turn."

At this, Max began to slightly panic, stuttering out "B-But your monsters, they've all already attacked!" But despite this, Tyrant Dragon seemed to be preparing to attack again. "Hey! This is cheating, isn't it?"

"On the contrary, it's Metaphys Tyrant Dragon's effect. When he destroys a monster by battle and he was special summoned by the effect of a Metaphys monster, he can attack again. Now Tyrant Dragon, attack Max directly with Tyrant Cosmic Burst - Times Two!" At this, Tyrant Dragon shot out two bursts of energy, each one hitting Max as he was pushed back onto the ground.

 _Max: 0_

 _Malcolm: WIN!_

"And with that, I believe I'm the winner." Malcolm says, giving off a smug look before turning to give Lily a thumbs up. Max, however, was fuming with anger as he stood a bit wobbly. "Why you little- I'll remember this, Malcolm." He turns to leave, heading for the ship's dormrooms as Malcolm chuckled.

"Ah, let him come. I'll beat his ass again and again. Now… I believe there's a seat waiting if you want to come along Lily." Malcolm simply offers, looking to a red Lily as she nodded. He smiles, heading for the pool area again as Lily followed, smiling as well.

 **And there's Chapter 3 all finished up. Now that this is going good, hopefully I'll be able to keep up the weekly updates. So Read further, Rate what you think, and Review if you find anything interesting - whether it's good or bad... preferably good. NewNova, signing off.**


	4. Chapter 4: Chatting & the Academy

**(Disclaimer: Read Chapter One)**

 **Chapter Four: Chatting & The Academy**

Once they were at the pool, Malcolm sat down at the chair before looking around and noticing something. "Umm… There seems to be a lack of other chairs nearby, Lily." He tells her, to which she begins blushing again.

"U-Um… It's okay, I can find somewhere else-" She was cut off when he stood up, heading off before coming back… with another chair. He set the other chair down next to the first, before sitting down in that one with a smile. "There we go. Much better, since I sense you may turn into a tomato if we shared a pool chair." At this, she does become very red, but sits down on the original seat as Malcolm leans back in comfort - having plopped down onto his own.

"Ahh… Not bad, wouldn't you say Lily?" He says, closing his eyes in relaxation as Lily calmed down, smiling to him as she replies, "Not bad at all, really." At this, he chuckles a bit.

"Yeah, certainly never boring, I'll say." He jokes, Lily beginning to giggle at that as well. "Agreed, Malcolm." They had a moment of silence, almost a bit awkward before Lily decided to ask, "Malcolm? Those Hanoi people… Just what is it they're after?"

"Hm?" He looks to Lily, a curious look on her face as she questioned him. "Malcolm, I remember them saying something about Solid Vision with Mass… Just what is that?"

At this, Malcolm frowned a bit before going to explain. "Well… It's a bit advanced, so sorry if I start rambling." Lily nods at this as Malcolm continues. "Solid Vision with Mass is basically a complex way of saying holograms with mass. Basically meaning the holograms gain mass, density, and weight. For example: Say I was to use normal Solid Vision…" At this point, he cuts himself off shaking his head.

"I'm rambling… but basically, it's light with mass - meaning it exists as a physical reality, and can affect the physical reality. Like a Yomi Ship card could actually be used as a boat." He finishes up, and was a bit surprised to see Lily's eyes sparkling with excitement. "Lily… Are you alright?"

"Umm… Yeah, I'm fine. Just kind of a fan of all this tech stuff." She shakes her head, smiling at him afterwards. "In any case, guess we're happy they don't have it. Although, why did the Hanoi claim they had a version?"

"Because they do. At least, they did."

At this, Lily tilts her head in confusion. "Did?" Malcolm nods at this, starting to explain again. "They have the prototype system, which they stole from KaibaCorp's computers - despite how doing this let the world know who they were, and as such the company created firewalls to keep them from taking it again. Due to that, the KaibaCorp also started working on a way to disconnect the prototype systems from the network. So to stop that and take revenge, likely, they thought about - my guess - taking me as a ransom."

"But why would they go to you for revenge?" Lily questions again, more confused than ever. "Doesn't sound like you did anything wrong."

"Oh no, I'm the one who upgraded KaibaCorp's computers so Hanoi couldn't get in again, so they've got every reason to hate me. Although they have yet to beat me, so I'm happy about that - along with everyone who's stored data in the KaibaCorp servers." Malcolm finishes with a grin, as Lily's eyes widen in amazement at what he's done. They were about to converse a bit longer before another fog horn went off, this time multiple people on the boat scrambling to the edges while an announcement was heard on the P.A.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the Dueling Nexus Academy is now visible in our sights. We will be arriving shortly, so please be prepared for when we do. Thank you."

"Alrighty, looks like we can get our first sights of our home until next June." Malcolm says with anticipation, meeting Lily at the edge as she looks in amazement - the sight truly was something to behold.

It was a seemingly enormous island, the Academy itself quite large as well. A dome shaped building with what appeared to be several pillars surrounding it rose into view as the cruise ship made its way to the docks. When they arrived, people scrambled to their rooms - Lily included. Malcolm, however, simply shrugged and prepared to head out with a bag around his back.

"Malcolm? You going to get your stuff?" Lily asked in confusion, to which Malcolm chuckled. "Lily, I've got my stuff. I packed light, with all I need in my bag. Seeya at the academy, and here's hoping we both get to the dorms we want." He waves goodbye to her, and she waves back as he heads off of the boat and towards to the Academy's main building. As he walked through, he saw a bunch of people gathering around into a huddled group - most of them having the uniforms talling that they've been here for a while. Malcolm was about to see what the commotion was about before one of them turned to face him, a scowl covering his mouth as he walked towards Malcolm.

"You there! One of the newbies?" He asked with a hint of snob, to which Malcolm gave a deadpan look. "Yeah, I'm new here. But I'm not new to the game, so I'd prefer it if you didn't call me newbie, snob." Malcolm turned to leave, and got a fair amount of distance away before he felt a hand on his shoulder turn him, and then he was promptly met with a fist as he was sent sprawling onto the ground.

"Newbie, I'll call you whatever I want to. I'm a Pendulum Green, the second highest in the school - heck, only 3 people have made it to Link Cobalt on the first go, so good luck with that. Until then, you listen to me, understand that… Newbie?" The smug grin returned to the student's face as Malcolm stood, wiping his face to make sure nothing was bleeding as he turned to leave again.

"If you think you can bully me like that, you'd be mistaken. I'd stop that if I were you, whoever you may be-" Malcolm began, before he was interrupted by another shout behind him. "YOU DON'T KNOW WHO THE HELL I AM!? I'M RYAN TURANO!" The student - now known as Ryan - shouted this out in prideful rage as he prepared for another hit… before backing away a bit with a scowl. Malcolm looked behind him to see a large, kind of burly man with a crimson colored version of the uniform and a shaven head.

"Now now, Ryan. You shouldn't be treating new students this way, understand?" The man said, to which Ryan looked down in annoyance. "Understood, headmaster…" After that, he turned away and left the area before the man - now known as the headmaster - looked over to Malcolm. "Young man, are you alright? I hope you weren't hurt too badly, mister…"

"It's Malcolm, sir. Malcolm Harmon." Malcolm replied as he brushed himself off, taking a stand. "Judging by how Ryan there called you Headmaster, you're the big dog around here?" At this, the man nodded in agreement. "My name is Aadolf. I'm the headmaster here at DNA. And you're Malcolm Harmon, Joel's son?" This time it was Malcolm who nodded, assuring Aadolf. "Good. I've got your…. "Test" results from the testing facility. Turns out you've been placed in one of the higher dorms we have - Pendulum Green." At this, Malcolm's eyes went wide at this, as he shook his head in disagreement.

"Head, with all due respect, there must have been a mistake or something. Pretty sure I'm not that good at this game. Besides, beating that guy was kind of my responsibility - since he was looking for me, you know?" He tried reasoning, to which Aadolf simply shook his head with a smile.

"No matter. You showed your excellence at this game, along with courage for facing that Knight. Those principles are exactly what I'm looking for in this academy, so I think you'd be a great addition. And also, your dad kind of asked up to, so…" Aadolf's smile turned into a sheepish grin as Malcolm slumped in annoyance at his father. "In any case, your dorm is over in that direction. Your name's on your room, your uniform for the current semester inside the room. Malcolm, I hope you enjoy your stay here at DNA." After finishing his short speech on where to go, the headmaster made his way towards the main building as Malcolm went in the direction given to him.

 **Quite sorry about the late post, just had to take care of some family business due to Thanksgiving. But in any case, here we are with chapter 4 taken care of! Unfortunately, with Christmas just around the corner, I might be a bit slow with the updates due to more family showing up for our big party we're doing. Well, in any case, New Nova Signing off! Happy late Thanksgiving!**


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